Barron Collier finishes second in Dodge Cup

The Barron Collier athletic program was awarded with a second-place finish in the Class 5A standings of the Dodge Sunshine Cup All-Sports Awards on Thursday — the highest finish in the school’s 28-year history.

Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas won first place.

“This is a reflection on our school and community as a whole, because our parents are so supportive and administration is incredibly supportive with what we do,” Barron athletic director Joe Kemper said. “I think the other ADs will tell you that you always have to be looking at the big picture and this, having our teams recognized for what they’ve accomplished, is the big picture.”

Naples High finished sixth overall in Class 4A, and was second in the girls standings in its class.

Points are awarded based upon finishes in FHSAA state competition. The top 32 places are scored, with 50 being the most a school can receive.

The Cougars had seven teams win district championships, one state runner-up and regional finalist, four regional champions and two state champions.

The girls basketball team, which won the first state basketball title in Southwest Florida history, and boys tennis team were the state champions. The baseball team advanced to the state semifinals, and the girls tennis team was second.

In addition to the team accomplishments, Brittany Delaney (tennis), Ian Parry (baseball) and Courtney Jacob (basketball) received Naples Daily News Player of the Year Awards, while Ben Carter captured a state title for wrestling.

Barron also had three coaches win Coach of the Year Awards in Eric and Tyler Manring (boys tennis), Mike Hamburger (girls basketball) and Landon Thomas (volleyball).

Kemper said the teams were able to succeed because of the coaches’ commitment and the chemistry among the players.

“We were fortunate enough to not only have the skill but kids with the right attitude and a little bit of luck, which is always required along the way,” Kemper said. “The more talented they are, you have a larger percentage of maybe some kids that have some egos. We had teams that didn’t have that problem and the girls basketball team, I would hold them as an example to anyone of a team that had nothing but selflessness out there.

“It’s also a reflection on our coaches, and I try to maximize that to our coaches, that this is something you should feel pride in,” he added. “You can give a coach a ton of great athletes and they can either do something with them or not. But our men and women that coach put in so much more time than the pay they receive for it, would support that they have a passion for it and the kids feed off that.”